Practical
Plants

Medicago polymorpha

Toothed Bur-Clover

an annual member of the Medicago genus in the family Leguminosae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked as a potherb[6][4][5]. Only the young leaves are eaten raw[3]. Plants can be harvested on a cut and come again basis, the first harvest can be made about one month after sowing, plants can then be harvested another 3 - 4 times at intervals of a few weeks[8]. The young leaves contain about 6% protein, 0.14% fat, 9.5% carbohydrate, 1.4% ash. They are rich in vitamins A, C, and E[4]. Flowers - raw or cooked[1][5]. Seed - cooked[9]. The seed can be parched, ground into a powder and mixed with water to make a mush[9].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Used as a green manure, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen[10][8].

Environment

Range
Central and southern Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Habitat
Sandy or gravelly soils near the sea in eastern and southern England[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ[8]. The seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn[8].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a dry neutral soil and dislikes shade. Prefers a light well-drained soil[8]. A very variable plant[2]. Cultivated for its edible leaves in China[8]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[7]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  2. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  8. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

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